Vladimir Putin has warned that the United States and NATO would be “at war” with Russia if the West allows Ukraine to use long-range weapons.
The foreign ministers of the United States and Great Britain met with President Volodymyr Zelensky in kyiv on Wednesday with the war at a crucial point.
U.S. officials have been discussing easing restrictions on missile use that could have a profound impact on Russia.
Putin said the Western move would “change the very nature of the conflict” and issued a stern threat not to give Zelensky any more firepower.
“That would mean that NATO countries, the United States and European countries are at war with Russia,” he told a state television journalist.
“If that is the case, then taking into account the changed nature of the conflict, we will make appropriate decisions based on the threats we will face.”
Vladimir Putin warned that the United States and NATO would be “at war” with Russia if the West allows Ukraine to use long-range weapons
He added that clearing the way for Ukraine to use missiles that can hit Russian targets “is a decision on whether NATO countries are directly involved in the conflict or not.”
Putin’s warning came 24 hours before President Joe Biden is due to meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House.
Zelensky has been pressing the West to provide him with more firepower and air defences following a series of Russian rocket attacks.
Antony Blinken announced Washington would provide more than $700 million in aid, while Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Britain would contribute another 600 million pounds ($781 million) in the latest show of support for kyiv.
It remains to be seen whether Zelensky will succeed in getting what he really wants: the green light from the White House and Downing Street to begin launching long-range missiles supplied by the West against targets on Russian soil.
If Ukraine’s Western allies lift the ban, kyiv’s soldiers will soon be able to attack Russian military assets as deep as 300 kilometers (190 miles) inside Russia with American ATACMS and Anglo-French Storm Shadow missiles, a capability that could have a significant impact on the course of the conflict.
The Institute for the Study of War, a U.S. think tank, last month established a list of nearly 250 high-value military and paramilitary targets within weapons range that could be destroyed by Ukraine.
The main targets set by ISW include up to 16 Russian air bases, a number of brigade and division headquarters, artillery and missile units central to Russia’s air defense capabilities, and a variety of logistics hubs supplying Vladimir Putin’s units on the front lines.
Attacking these sites could cripple Russian logistics, command and combat support, significantly reducing Moscow’s offensive capabilities in occupied Ukrainian territory, even if Putin’s troops redeploy most strategic bomber aircraft further east.
The Kursk nuclear power plant and several nuclear weapons arsenals are also theoretical targets.
Ukraine has already carried out several attacks inside Russia, including targets in the capital Moscow, several oil refineries and ammunition depots.
But those attacks have been carried out by kamikaze drones, which are considerably limited in scale and highly susceptible to jamming and Russian air defense systems.